Zahida

At the age of 44, Zahida is a hardworking lady. Involved in manufacturing leather bags and wallets for a period of about 20 years, she is zealous about her work, and client demand is strong. Zahida makes enough through her business to contribute to the family income.

To cope with the increasing demands of her customers, she has applied for a loan of Rs. 40,000 to purchase a stock of leather materials in various colors along with packs of beads and pearls for embellishment. Now in her fourth loan cycle with a good credit history, Zahida hopes to boost her earnings through increased sales, and wishes to spend part of her profits on the betterment of her family members.

Additional Information

About Kashf Foundation

Kashf Foundation is one of the leading microfinance providers in Pakistan, focused on expanding financial access for poor women across the country. The organization’s economic empowerment program has grown from 913 clients in 1999 to 284,653 clients as of May 2012, with a current outstanding portfolio of US$32 million.

Kashf has trained over 227,000 clients in basic financial literacy and systemized financial education since 2010, in addition to providing training in gender justice and empowerment to over 12,500 participants since 2011. This group includes clients, their husbands and adolescent boys in their communities.

Over the past 16 years, Kashf has disbursed an estimated 2 million loans. Today, it operates in 16 districts in Punjab province and 1 district in Sindh province through a network of 157 branches. It plans to open 19 new branches to cover all four of Pakistan’s provinces.